Abel Tasman was the first European to sight New Zealand in 1642. He sailed from Holland on the ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen. When he discovered Golden Bay, he named it Murderers Bay because his crew killed four Māori people there in a battle. The Māori originally called Golden Bay "Mohua". Tasman explored parts of the northern and western coasts of the South Island but did not make landfall anywhere.